Social Profile: 
✔️Breakfast ✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in ✔️Take out
… View more
Located in Chevy Chase, MD, Elena James is an all-occasion neighborhood restaurant that serves New American cuisine for dinner and weekend brunch. The brainchild of restaurateurs Colin McClimans and Danilo Simic, Elena James embraces the same vision of playful yet polished culinary comforts that define its sister restaurants, Nina May and Opal.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 8551 Connecticut Ave, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
Phone: (202) 897-9906
Website: https://www.elenajamescc.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: resy.com
Related Web Results
Elena James: HOME
Located in Chevy Chase, MD, Elena James is an all-occasion neighborhood restaurant that serves New American cuisine for dinner and weekend brunch.
Elena James Chevy Chase (@elenajames_cc) – Instagram
2K+ followers · 89 following · 54 posts · @elenajames_cc: “New American restaurant in Chevy Chase, MD. Sister restaurant of @ninamay_dc, @opal_dc.”
Book Your Elena James Reservation Now on Resy
The menu covers all the bases, from green salads with crunchy chow mein noodles, patty melts, lamb and tzatziki pizza, and short-rib lasagna.
Reviews
Carolyn Frank
Do not bother ordering an entree, appetizers, salads and burgers are ok. Came with a group on a slow weekday evening, and service and food were slow to appear. The pork schnitzel was close to inedible, two different dinners at two different tables found it nearly impossible to cut even with a serrated knife, and once cut could only see and taste the breading, which appeared to lack any spice except salt. As reported by multiple parties, the trout was cooked perfectly but lacked any spice or herbal flavoring and was accompanied by a very limited amount of a completely bland white sauce. One who ordered the duck wing appetizer found the 4 drums to be tasty but dry. The salads were meal-size portions and decent versions. Wine selections were reasonable although priced $1 or $2 more than similar restaurants. Eight beer selections were listed but neither of the two lagers were available. No one in the group wants to make a return visit.
… moreVy H.
Came here for dinner recently on a Wednesday night—the restaurant is fairly new so it wasn’t crowded, but we had reservations. Cute decor inside. Service was great—food came out fairly quick and our server was friendly and attentive.
For starters, the Fried Honey Old Bay Duck Wings was delicious. Loved the Chicken Caesar Lettuce Bouquets, which was uniquely presented. For pasta, the Bucatini Cacio e Pepe was AMAZING—well flavored and probably the best cacio e pepe pasta dish I’ve ever had (and I’ve been to Italy!!!) The Pork Schnitzel was good—it was well-fried and tender inside, but was not a huge fan of the sauce, had a bitter aftertaste. The Forest Mushroom & Truffle Pizza was huge portion with lots of topping, but the overall taste lacked flavor. For desserts, we enjoyed the Black & White Brownie (with ice cream) and Lemon Meringue Pie. Cocktails were super tasty—I enjoyed the Fairwind (gin based) and Cucumber Martini.
Overall, food and service was good (with some minor improvements)—I will be back to try other dishes!
… moreFor starters, the Fried Honey Old Bay Duck Wings was delicious. Loved the Chicken Caesar Lettuce Bouquets, which was uniquely presented. For pasta, the Bucatini Cacio e Pepe was AMAZING—well flavored and probably the best cacio e pepe pasta dish I’ve ever had (and I’ve been to Italy!!!) The Pork Schnitzel was good—it was well-fried and tender inside, but was not a huge fan of the sauce, had a bitter aftertaste. The Forest Mushroom & Truffle Pizza was huge portion with lots of topping, but the overall taste lacked flavor. For desserts, we enjoyed the Black & White Brownie (with ice cream) and Lemon Meringue Pie. Cocktails were super tasty—I enjoyed the Fairwind (gin based) and Cucumber Martini.
Overall, food and service was good (with some minor improvements)—I will be back to try other dishes!
Cindy Lin
The place is divided into a quick-order café counter with seating, and a full restaurant and bar with an open kitchen. The turkey cheddar club is delicious, with fresh, crunchy bread. The chicken Italian is also very tasty.
… moreStacey McEneaney
Went early on a Saturday night and the restaurant had a relaxed atmosphere and a warm ambiance. The waiter was great. Very personable and knowledgeable. He was very attentive and had some great recommendations. The food was amazing. Everything was cooked very well. The flavor combinations were unique and really creative. We ordered the chefs menu for restaurant week and everything that came to the table was 5 stars. This was our second visit and it is turning into our favorite restaurant in the area.
… moreMonica Chan
Went recently to try out this new restaurant in the neighborhood.
The interior design was very fun and modern. Restaurant was busy on a Saturday but we were able to walk in.
Unfortunately service and food quality still needs work. Regarding service, it seemed like they ran out of menus and rushed us to order quickly, with 2 people stopping to try and get our orders within 5 min of sitting down. It seemed they were still training as we had 3 different people stop to ask us about the menu and our order and it wasn’t clear who was our main waiter. There was no communication that we had already ordered.
Food was disappointing for the price and for the reviews I’ve seen at the sister restaurants (I have no tried them). The duck appetizer was too sweet and seems overpriced for $18 for 4. The American “burger” came on Texas toast and I was surprised they did not ask how we wanted the burger to be cooked. Both orders were medium done and very salty. Fries were also over salted. I couldn’t finish the dish. I think they tried to do too much in the sandwich.
My vegetarian friend enjoyed the butternut squash pasta but said it seemed too oily.
I will give this restaurant another try when they open for brunch/lunch since it’s filling a food void in this part of the county however I would not currently recommend it for anyone coming out of their way to eat here. I think the prices are too high for the quality of food (I am willing to pay these prices if the food is worth my time and effort of eating out).
FYI, they validate for 3 hours of parking garage parking.
… moreThe interior design was very fun and modern. Restaurant was busy on a Saturday but we were able to walk in.
Unfortunately service and food quality still needs work. Regarding service, it seemed like they ran out of menus and rushed us to order quickly, with 2 people stopping to try and get our orders within 5 min of sitting down. It seemed they were still training as we had 3 different people stop to ask us about the menu and our order and it wasn’t clear who was our main waiter. There was no communication that we had already ordered.
Food was disappointing for the price and for the reviews I’ve seen at the sister restaurants (I have no tried them). The duck appetizer was too sweet and seems overpriced for $18 for 4. The American “burger” came on Texas toast and I was surprised they did not ask how we wanted the burger to be cooked. Both orders were medium done and very salty. Fries were also over salted. I couldn’t finish the dish. I think they tried to do too much in the sandwich.
My vegetarian friend enjoyed the butternut squash pasta but said it seemed too oily.
I will give this restaurant another try when they open for brunch/lunch since it’s filling a food void in this part of the county however I would not currently recommend it for anyone coming out of their way to eat here. I think the prices are too high for the quality of food (I am willing to pay these prices if the food is worth my time and effort of eating out).
FYI, they validate for 3 hours of parking garage parking.
Bob Reed
Love the food! Me and wife did chefs choice $55 per person and loved every single dish. Best part is that chef is sending food until you content. Baked Alaska was dessert to finish the meal!
… moreI.E. Xam
We ordered:
Mozzarella Sticks with Dipping Sauce Very Good
Pan Fried Trout Excellent
Lemon Meringue Pie Very Good
Menu has starters, salads, pasta, pizza, main entrees. Full bar available- beer wine cocktails. Service was excellent except for a minor annoyance- I requested a substitute for the cauliflower on the trout entree but was refused by server. Also be aware they are not open all day. Closed for two hours at 3:00pm.
… moreMozzarella Sticks with Dipping Sauce Very Good
Pan Fried Trout Excellent
Lemon Meringue Pie Very Good
Menu has starters, salads, pasta, pizza, main entrees. Full bar available- beer wine cocktails. Service was excellent except for a minor annoyance- I requested a substitute for the cauliflower on the trout entree but was refused by server. Also be aware they are not open all day. Closed for two hours at 3:00pm.
Nikola Fizešan
It was our first time visiting DC, and our friends highly recommended Elena James, and we were absolutely in awe! They suggested a few dishes from the new autumn menu, and everything was incredible. The manchego + pear salad was a standout; it was our first time trying something like that, and we loved it!
Being from Europe, we also really appreciated the cocktail and wine selection – some of the ingredients and flavors felt so familiar and comforting, almost like a little taste of home. The atmosphere, food, and service all made for such a memorable evening. We’ll definitely be coming back next time we’re in DC!
… moreBeing from Europe, we also really appreciated the cocktail and wine selection – some of the ingredients and flavors felt so familiar and comforting, almost like a little taste of home. The atmosphere, food, and service all made for such a memorable evening. We’ll definitely be coming back next time we’re in DC!
Darren Liu
Food is a tad expensive but given its location and ambiance, it’s pretty warranted.
I think the menu has quite a few misnomers and just overall too much creativity in naming lol.
While the duck “wings” appetizer was insanely good, heavenly i might say, balanced, moist, crispy, 10/10, it was moreso duck drumsticks without flats or tips. Kinda confused when the dish came, $16/17 for the 4 drumsticks i think is actually decently priced for the quality.
Meatballs were great 8/10
The “OG breadsticks” gets a 3/10, for one, its focaccia loaded with too much parmesan cheese, with a side of compound butter that over complicates the flavor. I would suggest renaming or changing the dish…
Mushroom Pizza was nice, 7/10, nice rich mushroom and truffle aroma. However the oven feels a bit under temp’d where there was a bit of wet dough near the middle. The flour used is also unique and I havent tasted before, but they dusted a bit too much on the bottom. Crust was mediocre at best, needs much more fermentation of the dough yeast to both puff it up in the oven and develop a flavor other than cooked flour.
Amazing and friendly service staff and manager
Will definitely come back for the ambiance and food quality, relatively new launch so I expect it to get even better as the menu is refined
… moreI think the menu has quite a few misnomers and just overall too much creativity in naming lol.
While the duck “wings” appetizer was insanely good, heavenly i might say, balanced, moist, crispy, 10/10, it was moreso duck drumsticks without flats or tips. Kinda confused when the dish came, $16/17 for the 4 drumsticks i think is actually decently priced for the quality.
Meatballs were great 8/10
The “OG breadsticks” gets a 3/10, for one, its focaccia loaded with too much parmesan cheese, with a side of compound butter that over complicates the flavor. I would suggest renaming or changing the dish…
Mushroom Pizza was nice, 7/10, nice rich mushroom and truffle aroma. However the oven feels a bit under temp’d where there was a bit of wet dough near the middle. The flour used is also unique and I havent tasted before, but they dusted a bit too much on the bottom. Crust was mediocre at best, needs much more fermentation of the dough yeast to both puff it up in the oven and develop a flavor other than cooked flour.
Amazing and friendly service staff and manager
Will definitely come back for the ambiance and food quality, relatively new launch so I expect it to get even better as the menu is refined
Mona
Unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. We went there for lunch — the portions/ drinks were small, the service was super slow, and the food was just average, maybe a bit below.
… more